The printing of ballot papers for all levels of Zambia’s August 11, 2016 general elections has been completed in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) in the Middle East.

And the nine political parties being represented here are satisfied with the whole printing process that has been going on since July 5th July, 2016.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Senior Public Relations Officer Sylvia Bwalya announced that all ballot papers have since been printed successfully adding that only the packaging of the national assembly and local government ballot papers was still on-going.

“I am glad to inform you that we have completed the printing of ballot papers and I must say that this is a major milestone in the timeline of the printing process,” Ms. Bwalya told team Zambia at the Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company in Dubai today.

She said the presidential, referendum, mayoral, local government and national assembly ballot papers have all been printed.

She further said packing for all ballot papers has also been completed except for national assembly and local government papers.

Ms. Bwalya said the ECZ will this week announce the freight programme for the delivery of ballot papers to Lusaka.

And Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company General Manager Lakshmanan Ganapathy said the packaging for all ballot papers will be completed on Saturday this week.

He said thereafter, the company will start weighing pallets where ballot paper boxes are packed to determine the actual tonnage of the consignment.

There will be a total of 340 pallets weighing approximately 190 tonnes.

Meanwhile, the nine political parties monitoring the printing of the ballot papers here in Dubai have described the process as incident free.

United Party for National Development (UPND) representative, Jones Mulunga, said all the suggestions that the political parties raised during the printing process were satisfactorily addressed by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company.

Mr. Mulunga, who spoke on behalf of eight other political parties, said the process satisfied all stakeholders.

“The impressions so far are that there have not been any major incidences here. Any issues, observations and suggestions that we have given, the ECZ and the company (Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company) have been able to clarify for the satisfaction of everyone else,” Mr. Mulunga said.

He added that, “hopefully we shall get through this process without any issues here. I think it has been good”.

And United People’s Progressive (UPP) party representative, Mwansa Malila, said she was impressed with the way the printing process has been until its completion.

Meanwhile, ECZ Commissioner David Matongo said all stakeholders in the electoral process should ensure that speculations and unwarranted perceptions are reduced even in the heat of the elections.

Mr. Matongo said political parties should exercise temperance in their activities in order to have a credible election.

He further advised that there should be magnanimity in winning and no defiance in losing describing this as the greatest kind of leadership.

The UPND, UPP, Patriotic Front (PF), Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), United National Independence Party (UNIP), Democratic Assembly (DA), People’s Alliance for Change (PAC), Rainbow and the Green party have all fielded presidential candidates in this year’s elections.

All the nine political parties have therefore been represented during
the printing process here in Dubai.

Other agencies in ‘team Zambia’ in Dubai are the Zambia Police, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) representing the Church, Islamic Supreme Council of Zambia (ISCZ) representing faith-based organisations, and the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD).

The ballot papers are expected to be delivered to Zambia before July 30th, 2016.

The Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has called on all Zambians who have registered as voters to turn up in big numbers up and cast their votes on the August 11, 2016 general elections.

ZEC said voting is not only a right but also a duty to the country to help identify and put in place credible people who will make the state function in the promotion of the common good.

The Church Mother Body has also urged Zambians to never get tired of voting as apathy will only give greater chance to opportunists to win the elections.

ZEC has also urged Zambians to take interest in the on-going countrywide voter education being conducted Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other stakeholders.

ZANIS reports that this is contained in the Pastoral Letter issued in Lusaka and signed by all the 14 Catholic Bishops of Zambia.

And ZEC says it is deeply saddened by the increasing number of cases of political violence in the run-up to the August 11, 2016 general elections.

ZEC has since called on the Zambia Police to perform their duties of maintaining law and order professionally and effectively without undue pressure from any partisan influence.

On the other hand, the Catholic Bishops have urged both the public and private media to adhere to the principle and ethics of fairness and truth in their political coverage.

The Catholic Bishops also urged all the politicians across the political divide to make every effort in ensuring an effective way of cadre management and to immediately tone down their confrontational rhetoric.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops said the Catholic Church will not support or prop up a particular political party or candidate saying that is the free choice it has always left to its flock.

The Catholic Bishops maintained that the Church will continue to embrace members from diverse political persuasions and will jealously protect their freedom of association.

The Catholic Bishops however stated that based on their Christian principles, the Church can however provide guidance that could help its members to make informed choices among the many candidates and political parties that present themselves for elections.

Chief Mpezeni said everybody should rally behind the Patriotic Front (PF) and President Edgar Lungu because of the massive development that has been undertaken in the last five years.

He said his endorsement of President Lungu and the PF should not be mistaken to be tribal but that it was just practical that the ruling party should be given another mandate to continue its development agenda.

Speaking when Eastern Province Coordinator of President Lungu’s special campaign team, Lameck Mangani, paid a courtesy call on him in Chipata today, Chief Mpezeni noted that President Lungu was like a new vehicle which did not require servicing a few days after it was bought, adding that he needed to be given more time to continue with his developmental programmes of the country.

“We are able to see developmental activities all over and there is no need to start changing governments just for the sake of changing. We should give the PF and President Lungu more time to develop this country,’’ he said.
And Chief Chanje assured Mr Mangani of President Lungu’s victory and urged the ruling party not to get worried because people in Chipangali Constituency were behind the ruling party.

Chief Chanje also told Mr Mangani during a courtesy call paid on him that the message on the referendum was well received and people were ready to vote ‘yes’.

Meanwhile Mr Mangani appealed to the two traditional leaders to help disseminate information to their subjects about the importance of voting in an election.

He said if the PF was to have an outright win of the 50 per cent plus one vote in the first round, there was need for people to turn up in numbers and cast their votes.

Zambia goes to the polls on August 11 to elect a President, Members of Parliament, civic leaders and also vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the Bill of Rights in the referendum.

A Small Zambian Backyard innovation company has been awarded third place in the Africa Business Idea Competition held in Tanzania.

The innovation titled cash to trash involves creating value from the day to day waste we generate in our communities.

Speaking in an interview Castrol Shanobe who is the general manager and founder of Newtech recycling company said his innovation will help reduce the problem of indiscriminate disposal of waste by adding value to waste generated in communities.

“Through my innovation we will be able to manufacture high quality construction materials like paving stones. we will reduce the problem of indiscriminate disposal of waste by creating value from the waste we generate in our communities thereby reducing incidences of flooding, water borne related illnesses,” he said.

He said the competition was sponsored by DMM Africa, a Japanese firm interested in investing in Africa and had participation from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe with each country providing two representatives.

He also called on youths to be more action oriented as opposed to complaining about lack of employment when they can be employers.

He said its only Zambians who will create the desired jobs in the country and that youths should be in the forefront of innovations that will create jobs and contribute to the country’s economy.

“I believe it is only Zambians that will develop Zambia and create the employment we need. Rather than investing our energies in drinking beer and complaining. we should do something to make our lives better.

Research shows that over 95% of the people who say they need money would actually misuse the money if they are given because they have not done any background work. As the saying goes “its better to be prepared and not having an opportunity than having an opportunity and not being prepared,” he said.

He said “let us be more of doers than just talkers.”

Commenting on Mr Hichilema’s statement that they will be chaos if the PF refuses to hand over power PF Deputy Spokesperson Frank Bwalya said Mr Hichilema has timed the message after realising that he has not taken over Northern Province which thought would help him win the forth coming general elections.

Mr Bwalya said the statement was uncalled for and irresponsible because the country has always had smooth transitions of power starting from the hand over of power by the country’s colonial masters.

He explained that the President has clearly stated that he will accept the will of the people hence Mr Hichilema should stop preaching the Armageddon that he has always preached to his followers.

“The statement by UPND leader monitored by hot FM this morning that there will be chaos if PF refuses to handover power after 11th August is uncalled for and totally unnecessary. In fact the statement is irresponsible given the back ground that Zambia has a proven record of smooth transition of handing over power.

“In fact even our colonial masters did hand over power smoothly when it become clear that the natives wanted to govern themselves, UNIP did the same, MMD smoothly handed over power to PF and President Lungu is on record promising the Zambian people, assuring them that he will not stay in state house a day more than the people want him to be there. In other words President Lungu has clearly indicated that he will respect the will of the people. It is therefore totally unnecessary for Hakainde Hichilema to start threatening violence and the same Armageddon that he has always been talking about .

“What we know is that Mr Hakainde Hichilema wants to continue psyching his members to cause mayhem, to cause havoc in Zambia after 11th August when he loses and he has timed this statement after our mammoth, our huge rally in Kasama. One of the things UPND has been saying is that they have taken over Northern Province and because they have taken over the Province with support of GBM they would win the election,” he said.